This Game Is Too Realistic

"Nuclear bomb?!"

In the reception room of Dawn City.

When Chu Guang patiently listened to Kariman's hurried description and learned that the Army planned to bomb the City of Abundance with a million-ton nuclear bomb, he was stunned for two seconds. He wore a dumbfounded expression.

However, he quickly noticed how suspicious the information source was. A hint of skepticism appeared in his eyes.

"Is this information reliable?"

This granddaddy here didn't even hear any rumors about this... Yet you managed to already learn the strength of the bomb?!

It's not that I underestimate the efficiency of kingdoms when it comes to intelligence work, but I simply don't believe they are capable of such feats.

The Army was a very special organization. They emphasized the purity of bloodline, with all core officers having huge noses.

Previously, it was somewhat fortunate that Battlefield Cheerleader obtained information related to Camp 530.

Before catching Piman and Antonite, no one knew about Operation Thunder, including Chu Guang. They could only speculate based on the unusually large weapon reserves at the military base that the Army might be planning some major military operation.

Only when that plan was scrapped did the underlying secrets come to light.

Nuclear weapons... It wasn't surprising that the Army possesses things like that.

But how did the Lion Kingdom find out?

Faced with Chu Guang's skeptical gaze, Kariman nodded seriously.

"Absolutely reliable! This intelligence comes from a nobleman within the Falcon Kingdom who sympathizes with our plight. He shares our faith and bloodline ties, and his devotion to the Spirit of the Desert surpasses his foolish loyalty to the Falcon Kingdom royal family... I can only reveal this much to you, but I swear to the Spirit of the Desert, every word I say is utterly truthful!"

He didn't seem to be lying.

In fact, Chu Guang wasn't really doubting that the Lion Kingdom was trying to deceive him by fabricating false intelligence to heighten regional tension and urge allies to send troops quickly.

What he really suspected was whether this might be General Griffin fishing for spies, releasing bait to draw out traitors.

However...

Kariman's reasons were sufficiently compelling.

Even for a classical militaristic kingdom like the Falcon Kingdom, opinions internally couldn't possibly be completely unified.

Even if there was no dispute over the matter of being the Army's dogs, there would still be debate over whether to be a teddy or a husky.

Especially for the children of the desert. The Levee was a blessing from the Spirit of the Desert.

If the Army planned to use the bomb on City of Abundance, it wouldn't be surprising for devout followers to stand up against it.

Chu Guang closed his eyes and thought for a while, then slowly spoke. "I will have our intelligence personnel pay attention, but I can't guarantee there will be results. Hiding himself is his current priority."

"Additionally, I will contact allies on the East Coast as soon as possible to discuss countermeasures."

After a pause, Chu Guang continued speaking to Kariman. "Of course, relying on us alone is not enough. The Sunset Province is too vast. I need you to use that network you have for obtaining information, and collect as much specific information as possible. Like where the nuclear bomb is, what type it is, the delivery method, and the delivery distance... All this information is crucial."

Just a million-ton payload provided too few clues. Even finding out whether the bomb would be dropped from a plane or launched on a missile would narrow down the search area a bit.

After explaining the intelligence that needed to be gathered, Chu Guang then patiently schooled Kariman on some details worth noting.

For example, a million-ton yield nuclear bomb wasn't something they could stuff in a briefcase and carry around.

Besides the aircraft or missile launcher that delivered the nuclear bomb, engineers and technicians had to be present to operate it.

Those were all clues for investigation.

After ending his meeting with Prince Kariman, Chu Guang immediately summoned representatives of the Enterprise, informing Yi Chuan and others about the Army deploying nuclear weapons in the Sunset Province.

Although the authenticity of the intelligence still needed further verification, it didn't hinder Chu Guang from preemptively making use of it.

The New Alliance was bearing the threat of nuclear weapons for the Enterprise!

They needed more support!

As Chu Guang skillfully used the intelligence provided by Kariman to garner more support from the East Coast, General McClennan, who had left Oasis No.9 and headed south, was also busily preparing to retake the Heart of Steel...

...

The abandoned highway was buried under yellow sand, leaving only sporadic remnants of concrete.

The bare bridges and the occasionally emerging concrete road were like corpses surfacing from the sea. They floated in the endless desert, with only the rusty road signs telling their name.

That was Highway 7, named after Oasis No.7.

However... Both the oasis and the highway had been swallowed by the sands. They were both lost in the sands of time.

At a junction extending from the main road, a majestic alloy dam stood at its end.

It was as tall as a building, with no end in sight.

Near the base of the dam, everyone could see thick pipes the size of a buffalo's waist, with the outlets under the pipes connected to channels buried by sand.

The grand engineering work irrigated lands like the City of Abundance.

However, unlike the City of Abundance, the dam had become a ruin, and the oasis dependent on it has been abandoned over time.

The structure on the north side was still intact, just buried by sand, while the south side seemed to have been hit by some terrible weapon, a whole section of the alloy-cast dam was directly erased. Most of the rest had broken into shattered fragments, twisted beyond recognition.

Not only was the dam destroyed, but also the land beneath it.

The terrifying power of the weapon even changed the geological structure, turning the region from a plain into a valley.

The children of the desert call it the Lost Valley.

Legend had it that a long time ago, a very fierce battle erupted there, causing the grace of the gods to fall and the curse of evil energy to descend, permanently destroying the fertile land.

Now, two centuries have passed. The outcome of that war was unknown, leaving only a ruin for future generations to admire.

That was General McClennan's target.

He wasn't there to mourn the ancients, but to find something.

Something that could defeat the Heart of Steel...

Gunshots echo in the spacious valley.

Army soldiers in desert-colored bulletproof armor were divided into three small teams, alternating cover as they advanced, carefully clearing the corners of Crunchers.

Crunchers in the desert were different from elsewhere. The extremely dry environment made them smaller in stature, but they could move much more quickly with more erratic movements.

In addition to Crunchers, there were desert lizards that fed on them. There were even mutant scorpions that were half-human tall and could dig holes, among others.

It was especially so for the latter. They seemed to have built their nest there.

On the first day they arrived, they lost five members, one of whom died horribly when he had his head pierced by the tail of a mutant scorpion.

Looking at the ground full of mutant corpses, a soldier cursed, "Slime Mold... Damn, how can there be Slime Mold Mutants in the desert? Isn't this thing a specialty of big cities?"

Yeah... Shouldn't it be hard to survive in regions lacking water?

"Maybe two centuries ago, a lump of them fell here?" The squad leader changed his magazine with an expressionless face. He glanced around, looked at the messy battlefield, and couldn't help but click his tongue.

Most of the wreckage was buried.

To find the treasures hidden beneath, they need to be dug out of the lands.

Searching for treasure while fending off attacks from mutants sounded like a tall tale.

Fortunately, they didn't have to do the dangerous digging work themselves. Their followers from the reserve army whose lives were cheaper than slaves could do it, and there were as many as needed.

"What are we here for?" a soldier couldn't help asking.

The squad leader answered casually, "Who knows, maybe General McClennan has his plans... Don't worry about it too much. We just need to do our job."

As an area was cleared of mutants, the members of the reserve army carrying shovels and rifles returned and began excavating the earth. They transported the soil out of the valley by truck.

Not far behind them was the entrance to the majestic valley.